To Ban or Not to Ban: Cody Schools Explore Cell Phone Restrictions in Wake of National Shift

By Allison Gee

Phone addiction across the world is only becoming more prevalent and normalized. Because of this, our society is shifting, and educators and lawmakers are trying to find the best solution for managing phones in school environments. In the state of Wyoming specifically, two schools have already moved to a ban, Powell and Sheridan High School, and legislators are trying to pass Senate File 21 - a ban on cell phones in schools. This bill would take effect July 1st and would cause all districts in Wyoming to adopt cell phone-prohibiting policies. These recent changes caused Cody School District to gather its own information. A survey was sent out to students, staff, and parents on January 27th, 2025 with the intent to gather information. Cody High School principal Mitch Espeland stated he “wants what teachers want, what parents want, and what kids want.” 

Countless and rapid upcoming research reveals that phones are changing adolescent minds. While phones prove to be a distraction in classrooms, one of the bigger concerns is protecting developing teenage minds from creating an uncontrollable addiction. For instance, a study involving 10,500 teens aged 13 to 17 from the U.S. and India found that increased smartphone use is linked to heightened aggression, detachment from reality, and hallucinations (Schlott, Rikki). On the other hand, phones are integrated deeply into our society, and many students argue that taking away cell phones is infringing on their rights and freedoms. Many argue that if cell phones are a part of everyday life outside the classroom, shouldn’t they be learning how to manage them in controlled environments? 

Ideas on what to do in Park County District range from person to person. A survey was sent out on February 12th, 2025, gathering opinions of teachers and 27 of 46 teachers responded. 44.4% of teachers believe banning phones is the best solution, with 37.7% saying their students should be able to use their phones when prompted or at the teachers’ discretion. John Corbin, a teacher in the social studies department at Cody High School, stated, “The more immediate we can do it, the better.” However, history classrooms don’t depend on phones in the same way media development does. Many legislators and educators “are not regarding media production, which is not common in high schools, but is increasingly important,” states Betsy Ryzewicz, “taking away cell phones is not honoring a high schooler’s sovereignty or maturity.” Each teacher needs their students to interact with their phones in different ways. Currently, Cody High doesn’t have any specific phone-related policies, but teachers have implemented their own rules in the classroom. Phone caddies can be spotted across campus in numerous classrooms. Looking into the student body, a similar survey was sent out the same day with 51 respondents of 599 students. The majority (56.9%) of students found that their phone was distracting but still manageable. 24 students which is the equivalent to 44.7% of the respondents think the district should do nothing and continue to let teachers manage it for themselves. Casper Thomas, a sophomore at Cody High claims that “they should give us full reign, if you can’t manage your usage, you are pathetic and need to learn responsibility. Jobs are not going to take away phones; be prepared.” However, Carter Thompson, a CHS Senior, argues the other side, “Cell phones hinder the true purpose of education by acting as constant distractions, reducing face-to-face interactions, and limiting students’ ability to develop essential social and critical thinking skills needed for adulthood.” It is evident that different opinions occur throughout Cody High, and each student has their own ideas on how phones affect their education. After speaking with Scott Shaffer, Cody High school personal finance teacher, he makes it clear that no matter the decision “the kids that get A’s aren’t the ones who struggle with cell phones… they are going to continue to get A’s” and that cell phone policies “are going to have the most impact on the kids that have limited self-control.” 

photo by Annie Spratt - Unsplash

As mentioned earlier, Powell and Sheridan High School have already implemented and introduced cell phone restricting policies. Sheridan High School requires all students to keep their phones in their backpacks and turned off during class. Sheridan High School Junior, Rudy Green adds “I obviously don’t really like it (the ban) because I’m a screenager and I don’t really think it changes the way I learn, I’m just a little bit less distracted”. Caite Sue from Powell introduces a new perspective on how the ban has changed her environment at school, “I think it makes the kids more sneaky about trying to get on their phones, not to mention how much more often kids use the restroom now”. This statement is in line with the idea that kids are still going to distract themselves, but now in different ways. Scott Smith, a mathematics teacher from Powell High School, reiterated that the Powell ban causes all students to keep phones away, turned off, in their backpacks all day. He states “The biggest thing I see, is that social media puts kids into a tizzy so fast” he continues “They start looking on FaceBook and all of a sudden they see somebody has a post about them that’s negative, and then all of a sudden they are shot for the rest of the day, I hate that”. Scott Smith closed out the interview by declaring the cell phone ban “has made it better, it’s not perfect but it is certainly better than it was a year ago”. 

Each school will tackle the cell phone ban differently, doing what is best for their culture and programs. Phone regulation in schools is a national shift and will only become more prevalent across the country. Park County School District is doing its best to consider all perspectives and at the end of the day, Mitch Espeland states, “We need to figure out what's best for teaching and education”. No ban will occur at Cody High School until next school year and details on what it will look like are still in the air. Rest assured that extensive research and communication are being conducted to create the best solution for everyone within the district.  

Works Cited

Schlott, Rikki. “Smartphone Use Leads to Hallucinations, Detachment from Reality, Aggression in Teens as Young as 13: Study.” New York Post, New York Post, 23 Jan. 2025, nypost.com/2025/01/23/lifestyle/smartphone-use-leads-to-hallucinations-aggression-in-teens-study/?utm_